Sherrod Brown’s fiscal austerity measure

Greg Sargent at the Washington Post’s The Plum Line blog shows that Senator Sherrod Brown has a simple response to his colleague’s in Congress: if you want to raise the retirement age to collect full benefits under Social Security or Medicare, then Members of Congress should agree that they can’t collect full retirement benefits from their time in Congress until they reach the same age.

Brown is introducing a proposal today in Congress that would enshrine this into law: It would amend the Federal retirement system to make the Social Security retirement age the point at which current and future members of Congress get access to their own Federal retirement benefits.

Think Josh Mandel would propose something like this in Congress? Josh Mandel, the State Treasurer and candidate for the U.S. Senate who has yet to offer a single word about the current debt ceiling debate in Congress?

“The people who cavalierly say we can raise the retirement age probably don’t know people who work in a diner or in construction or in manufacturing or in retail and had their knees go out in their 40s or 50s,” Brown told me in an interview. “People who are doing physical work always have back problems and joint problems.”

“This is way more than a message amendment,” Brown continued. “It could force members of Congress to reassess their views here.” Members of Congress can currently collect their Federal pension benefits as early as 50, depending on how long they’ve served.

Any response, Josh Mandel?

Oh, wait, that’s 2000 Josh Mandel cheering on Al Gore as an OSU student at an Al Gore campaign rally. 2011 Josh Mandel claims he was asked to attend in his capacity as student body President, which is odd since this is totally a political event, and Josh seems pretty excited to… see…. Al Gore?

"McCain’s town-hall meeting is a great opportunity for Ohio State students to learn firsthand about another candidate," added USG President Josh Mandel. "His visit demonstrates the significance of Ohio and Ohio State students in presidential elections."

But Mandel wasn’t quoted in campus newspapers or the Columbus Dispatch talking about the “great speech that resonated with students” after McCain spoke, though.

Maybe if 2000 Josh Mandel was running for the Senator, I’d consider him. Then again, 2000 Josh Mandel would be support Sherrod Brown.